CWW (Classroom Without Walls)
The Middle School Classroom Without Walls program extends student learning beyond experiences they can gain at school. The primary goal is for students to build positive relationships, trust, and cooperation with their peers and teachers by facing unique challenges and experiences outside of the classroom. Through these challenges and experiences, students will be given opportunities to grow as individuals and to build self esteem. Students will further develop their own environmental awareness and cultural sensitivity through participating in activities specific to each trip. Once students return to the classroom, the lessons learned at CWW will support and enhance student learning throughout the rest of the school year. Objectives Sixth Grade: Reaching Beyond Your Comfort Zone Each sixth grade student will attend a Classroom Without Walls trip in Malaysia. Students will be grouped with their homebase group, their homebase teacher, and a qualified Ecofieldtrips guide throughout the trip. Beginning with a trip across the border with classmates and teachers, the trip will focus on guiding students out of their comfort zone. Activities will include conducting a seashore survey, visiting a rubber plantation, walking through a traditional Malay kampong (village) and exploring the local rainforest. Sixth grade students will… *Stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones through participating in new experiences and spending the night away from home. *Develop an awareness and appreciation of the environment through the exploration of regional ecosystems. *Gain new perspectives through interaction with the local culture. Seventh Grade: Facing New Challenges The theme of the seventh grade trip is "Facing New Challenges." Each side will be further divided into smaller groups based on their home base groups. These smaller groups will then each go through a rotation of activities that focus on cooperating with, encouraging, and supporting the other members of their home base while still allowing for each student to be challenged in a safe environment. The first day will include travel to Indonesia, the first rotation and an evening program that focuses on building a sense of community with the entire side. On the second day, students will go through two additional rotations and will have another evening program and a bonfire. The final day sees students compete the fourth rotation and then travel back to Singapore. Seventh grade students will… *Engage in a variety of physically challenging yet fun activities. *Learn how to cooperate with, encourage, and support others as they face new challenges together. *Explore, what will be for many, a new part of Southeast Asia. Eighth Grade: No One Is an Island Eighth grade students will travel to Indonesia to a resort owned by American families. Once there, students will focus on the primary objective of the trip–team building. Home base groups will have an opportunity to get better acquainted and more comfortable with the other 12 or 13 students they will work with for the remainder of the year. The first day will include travel to Indonesia, large group activities and an evening bonfire. The second day will focus on team building activities and will also culminate with an evening program and bonfire. Eighth grade students will… *Develop positive social skills, and responsible social behavior through a variety of low risk, success building activities. *Create enduring memories and friendships through physical, social and intellectual challenges.. *Learn how to respect and appreciate the similarities and differences of others.